this is "world news." tonight, urgent action, americans evacuated from yemen and the hunt is on for terrorists. what about the thousands of dangerous prisoners who have escaped from this jail? heart scare, how did a man as fit as former president george w. bush end up in surgery? and trapped a terrifying day for superstar usher, his son caught under water by the powerful suction of the underwater swimming pool drain. >> my nephew was in the pool and he went and i couldn't get him. >> a warning for everyone in the summer season. and a good evening to all of you. we begin with that worldwide

terror alert. tonight america taking new action. the u.s. military evacuated americans out of the embassy in yemen and they are intensifying the hunt for the leaders of the terror plot. so does this mean the risk has increased tonight? abc's chief foreign affairs correspondent martha raddatz tells us what is happening right now. >> reporter: today a u.s. navy reconnaissance plane circled yemen's capital, scouring the streets and alley ways below searching for terrorist operatives behind a plan u.s. intelligence believes involves a strike on the u.s. embassy or other western targets with explosive trucks. craig, a freelance journalist in the city described the eyes in the sky. >> it was buzzing for at least five hours. then there was a break for an hour or two and then it was back again. >> reporter: taking no chances,

the u.s. air force air lifted almost all of the u.s. personal out to safety, leaving only the most essential personal behind. tonight we know this is the man behind the plot, a hardened al qaeda leader determined to strike beyond the borders of yemen to the american homeland. he was behind the underwear bombing plot to bring down a u.s. aircraft. he just might get help from a large number of maximum security prisoners, many of them al qaeda, who have been busted out of jail in recent weeks with the help of heavily armed militants. 500 were freed in iraq, more than 1,000 from a prison in libya and close to 250 from a pakistani jail. many could again link up with al qaeda. >> it's possible they could be suicide bombers or combat anti-s. some may have capabilities in terms of bottom making which is always a concern. >> reporter: these embassies

will remain closed through the weekend but concern about the possibility of an attack before that is very real, diane, and very urgent. >> continues to be on high alert. martha, the other headline in the news today, 11 months after the attack on the consulate of benghazi, we know they have brought charges against one accused attacker. what do we know about him. >> the charges are sealed. he's one of those self-formed militia leaders. he says he is not al qaeda but witnesses say he was organizing fighters that night in benghazi. he says he was there but did not cause violence. this is an arrogant guy who was hanging out at luxury hotels but right now he is in hiding. >> thank you, martha raddatz, continuing our recording on the terror front tonight. and here at home today surprising news about the health of former president george w. bush. he had a heart scare, all of us wondering how a man so famously

fit discovered that risk and what can everyone learn from his experience? abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl has more on the former president. >> reporter: whether it's mountain biking in texas or playing golf with wounded warriors, george w. bush at 67 seems to be as active and móykyy physically fit in retirement as he was during his white house days. but a routine physical yesterday found a blockage in a crucial artery that supplies the heart with blood. so this morning his doctors inserted a stent to prop open j> the artery so the blood can get through. bush has no history of heart trouble and his spokesman says prior to yesterday's physical he had absolutely no symptoms indicating a problem. in fact, he had just gone mountain biking over the weekend and less than three months ago did his annual 100 kilometer ride paying tribute to wounded warriors. >> here's the thing about life. you're going to get dealt a hand you don't want to play.

it's going to happen to all of us. the question is how do you play the hand. >> reporter: as president, bush had consistently stellar health reports but there is no job more stressful than that one. here he is the year he was elected and here shortly before leaving office. in retirement though he seems to lead a remarkably stress free life. as he told diane sawyer earlier this year, devoting lots of time to painting. >> i love to paint. painting has changed my life in an unbelievably positive way. >> reporter: we caught up with him last month in africa where he spent hours painting a women's clinic in zambia and later did some dancing. >> what is it about this continent that makes presidents get up and dance. >> in this case i was joyful, full of joy. it was a joyful moment and i got carried away by the spirit. >> the spokesman says the procedure went beautifully and he is expected to be released from the hospital tomorrow. jonathan karl, abc news, washington.

>> we bring in abc's medical editor dr. richard besser. exactly what does a stent do and what does it not do? >> this tiny little thing here is a stent. what it does do, if you have symptoms it can relieve those. what it doesn't do, if you don't have heart symptoms, it doesn't prevent a heart attack. >> it does not prevent a heart attack? we think of it as opening it up so the plaque doesn't cause a heart attack but that's wrong. >> that's right. many studies have shown if you don't have symptoms it doesn't do anything for you. if you have shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue going upstairs or strange symptoms, that's when you need to ask about getting a stress test to see if your arteries might be blocked. >> we'll be following the former president tomorrow hoping he's home. thank you again. and now we turn to that

shooting rampage trial under way at fort hood texas and the opening statement by army major nadal hassan who is defending himself. the former psychiatrist admitted killing 13 people and wounded dozens of others. hassan, an american born muslim wanted to argue that he was protecting taliban fighters in afghanistan but the judge is not allowing him to use that as a defense. a town meeting in a rural part of pennsylvania turned to chaos last night. gunfire broke out. state police say two ordinary americans then leapt in and saved lives. three people died but it could have been far worse. >> reporter: this is the man police say shattered the peace in a small pennsylvania town. state police say 59-year-old rockne newell walked up to the ross township municipal building monday night armed with a rifle and started shooting. >> it was a horrible scene, something you never want to witness. >> reporter: police say newell who was involved in an 18 year

fight with the township over his property killed three people. state police stay he first started shooting through the side window, shattering the glass and then he moved to the side door and finally the front door. in all authorities say he fired off dozens of rounds. when newell allegedly went back to his car to grab a different gun, bernard here seen at the scene and mark creche kresh sprang into action. >> after the second round of the shooting i could not take anymore. i got up and ran. to be honest, my wife was behind me and i did not want her to be shot. >> reporter: investigators say the two men tackled newell to the ground and bound him up using clothes. minutes later as he was taken away newell told them, quote, i wish i killed more of them. chaos in a small town that would have been worse if not for the heroic actions of two men. adee dee

today the president said he wants to tackle the problems of middle class families in america, including the cost of owning a home. so we wondered who is officially middle class tonight and what is the central concern. abc's linsey davis has that. >> reporter: today the president made a sales pitch directly to the middle class. >> as any middle class family will tell you we're not yet where we need to be. >> reporter: who exactly is he speaking to? there are many definitions of the middle class. take a teacher in michigan who makes around $63,000 a year. that's considered middle class. on average he or she spends about $74 a week on groceries, $50 a week eating out and $1400 a month on housing but the president's attempt to encourage those who want to buy their first home may have been a message that no longer resonates as much with this crowd. 20 years ago 70% of middle class

families thought it was important to own their own home. now it's just 45%. what two-thirds believe is important is health insurance. as for getting ahead, one study found that your location has an impact. if you live in the northeast, you're upward mobility is likely better because of a wider range of jobs that pay a bit more, while in the south you're hurt by less education and career opportunities. the american dream still alive, just changing. linsey davis, abc news, new york. tonight music superstar usher is living a cautionary tale for every one of us. his son was injured after being trapped under water by the suction from a swimming pool drain. as we've reported often here, these drains are so powerful, adults cannot pull the child free. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: he's a 5-year-old boy with a world famous father. hip hop superstar usher.

today young usher raymond v is lucky to be alive. according to the atlanta police when he became stuck in the drain of the pool. his frantic aunt called 911. >> what's the status of your emergency? >> my nephew was in the pool. he went and i couldn't get him. i couldn't -- i couldn't -- i tried to get him and they got him. they're doing cpr on him. >> reporter: pool drains are nor notoriously dangerous as seen in this government safety video. look how the suction holds down that ball. even a grown man can't pull it out. the consumer product safety commission found that over a ten year period 80 people why injured, a dozen died, most kids. among the tragedies 7-year-old graham baker. she got trapped at a pool party in virginia and died in her mother's arms. >> there aren't words to describe what that was like. i kept pulling at her, never understanding what it was that was holding her down.

>> reporter: little graham's grandfather happened to be former secretary of state james baker, who used his considerable influence to help beat the lobbyists and change the law. new safer drain covers are now required in all public pools, but many older pools and a lot of back yard pools still don't have them. it's not yet known if usher's pool had one of the newer covers but the good news is his son is expected to make a full recovery. david wright, abc news, los angeles. >> we certainly hope so. now tonight we have an update on that hard landing at laguardia airport last month. you remember the southwest landing nose gear first and then skidding down the runway. well be the ntsb says one pilot handed off control to the other pilot was it as coming in for a landing. that's not a normal procedure.

we're told there were no signs of mechanical problems. and still ahead here on "world news," the end of lost luggage, can it be? what's behind the little curtain. we'll show you a trick to keep you and your bags from going on separate vacations. and the strange thing everyone is doing this summer, old, young, something you got to try for yourself coming up. [ male announcer ] a bachelor's degree from devry university could change your tomorrow, if you do something today. with our career catalyst scholarship you can. apply by august 29th for up to $20,000 for qualifying new students. last year, 90% of devry university grads actively seeking employment, had careers in their field within 6 months. so with this scholarship you could be on your way. now's the time. visit devry.edu and apply by august 29th.

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and now help on the way for something that can sure torpedo your vacation. you arrive but your luggage doesn't. this summer more than half a million of us will be in that fix. so tonight, abc's steve osunsami is here with a way to save the day. >> reporter: craig duff was traveling to beautiful cancun mexico, but before he got to go swimming with the whale sharks, his airline lost his bag. he had to waste a day finding new gear and he had paid one of those hefty baggage fees. >> i was sort of imagining my bag had gone to the island of lost luggage. it turned out it went to tijuana, which is close. >> reporter: we met aaron hurvitz wearing a suit he bought after american airlines lost his bag. somehow the various airlines mishandled this bright red bag four times since february. >> there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. it's the most vulnerable feeling on the planet. >> reporter: nearly 23 million checked bags are lost every year. the airlines could lose an estimated 637,000 bags this

summer alone. the problem is not always the angry baggage handlers. this enlightening video from sea-tac airport south of seattle shows the 9.5-mile path of conveyor belts that a bag has to safely travel. sometimes bags like this get stuck or set aside. so what do you do? first, pick the best time to check the bag. our expert says bags are more likely to get lost when they're checked in too late or too early. >> the sweet spot for checking in your bag is between one hour and 90 minutes before your flight takes off. you want to give the airline enough time to get the bag to the aircraft but you don't want to give them so much time that the bag gets set aside and forgotten about. >> reporter: this gadget is called a track dot and it slips into your luggage and will tell you where your bags have gone. when you land it even sends you these e-mails saying if it landed, too, or got rerouted to

alaska, or, even worse, to the land of the lost bags where, if they are not claimed, someone with the right amount of cash goes home with your stuff. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. coming up next right here, a real what were you thinking. you will not believe what an american tourist did to a priceless statue in italy. mama mia. to a priceless statue in italy. caused by acid reflux disease, relief is at hand. for many, nexium provides 24-hour heartburn relief and may be available for just $18 a mont ma mama mi mama mia. other serious stomach conditions may exist. don't take nexium if you take clopidogrel. relief is at hand for just $18 a month. talk to your doctor about nexium.

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thought to play a role in the inflammation that comes with ra. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. don't start taking xeljanz if you have any kind of infection, unless ok with your doctor. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests, including certain liver tests before you start, and while you are taking xeljanz. tell your doctor if you have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you are pregnant, or plan to be. taken twice daily, xeljanz can reduce the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe ra, even without methotrexate. ask if xeljanz is right for you. here's what made it to the

top of our "instant index" this tuesday night. attention tourists, this is a really, really, really bad idea. an american man was touring an art museum in florence and decided to measure his finger against a rare work of art, and he snapped off the marble pinky of a priceless 600-year-old statue of the virgin mary. tonight italians are outraged. he and his red face are lying low. and then there is the perfect game that got away. any bowler's dream, a 300, ten troy walker was almost there at a bowling tournament in houston. he just needed one last strike when this happened. the reset barrier came down. look again. his perfect last shot blocked. turned out he hit the wrong button when he picked up the ball. they let him try again of course but he ended up with a 297. are you organizing the snapshots from your summer vacation? same with nasa.

the mars rover curiosity has been on mars now one year as of today so they put together their snapshots, a sort of time lapse video, what i did on my extraterrestrial vacation. since it is curiosity's birthday, they used a scientific instrument to play this. [ happy birthday plays ] >> anybody out there on mars listening? and we come back right here on earth. a song, a cup and a summer craze that people of all ages cannot resist trying for themselves. sist trying for themselves.

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plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day women's 50+. finally, every summer it seems there is something people of all ages just start doing for fun, a kind of holiday from thinking. so are you ready to join in tonight? all you need is a kitchen table and a little time to find the beat. abc's dan harris tried it today. >> reporter: if somebody from another era were to hop in a time machine, land in 2013 and briefly peruse the internet,

that person would undoubtedly ask, what is the deal with all of these cups? as it happens, this is a viral trend with its roots in another era, 1931. ♪ you're going to miss me when i'm gone ♪ >> reporter: that's when music legends, the carter family, recorded an appalachian folk song called "when i'm gone." fast forward to 2009 when this british act did another version, adding something new, a rhythmic cup accompaniment. actress anna kendrick caught wind of this and performed it in last year's hit movie, pitch perfect. what happened next surprised everybody. kendrick released the song as a single which hit the billboard top ten. even crazier, people started doing their own versions. what started with tween girls

quickly moved to babies, grandparents, even entire families around the kitchen table. so we here at "world news" decided to try an experiment. we took six tweens and matched them up with a skeptical, middle-aged news anchor. >> you got to teach the old guy how to do it. >> are you lost? >> i'm lost. >> this is the hard part. >> i'm getting nervous. i'm working on the basic mechanics. >> it's not mechanics. it's a cup. >> reporter: it took me a while, a long while, but i finally got it. and now i fear i will never get this song out of my head. ♪ i got a ticket for the long way round ♪ >> dan harris, abc news, new york. >> got to love dan. got to love summer. we thank you for watching and i'll see you again tomorrow night.

good night. tonight the threat of an ac transit strike just hours away. officials meet now to avert a walkout. >> richmond refinery fire. demonstrators gathering right now. >> did you get a text message about an amber alert?

in southern california? tonight you'll find out how to opt in or opt out. >>. a new travel web site can save you a bundle but there is a catch. tonight i put the service to the test. hang around. 7 on your side is coming up. >> will this ac transit bus be interest there in the morning to get to you work is in the board sits down to meet in minutes and hopes of averting a strike. good evening, everyone. >> ac transit workers could walk at midnight meaning you won't ride. abc 7 news nick smith is live with the latest on the possibility of a strike. nick? >> we have new information a special meeting happening now. latest deal being presented to the board of directors now, i have just learned on the surface it appears to be good news or positive step forward

i have confirmed with a source that both sides are moves are moving closer. management wants workers to pay 10% of the costs. about $120 every two weeks a fee phased in over three years. my source tells me union members will contribute to their health care. the first year, atu local 192 will pay $70 towards their health care package. the third year members will contribute $180. sticking point still being discussed or negotiated second-year terms, now, management wants workers to pay $145 the second year, but union only wants to pay $135. we're talking about a $10 difference there.